Plus, Freddie Dennis and Sam Clemmett have their own theories about Reynolds’ whereabouts.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story will make you swoon more often than not, as young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and young King George (Corey Mylchreest) take the first steps in their love story. But the ending scene of the finale is more likely to bring a tear to your eyes than a flush to your cheeks.
After finally learning that one of her children is expecting an heir, Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) visits King George (James Fleet) at Kew. The couple, now decades into their relationship, slide under their marriage bed to “hide from the heavens.” Time loses meaning as we see versions of both young and older Charlotte and George smile lovingly at each other under the bed. Rosheuvel tells Tudum that Queen Charlotte director Tom Verica came up with the idea; production of the scene was the only time Rosheuvel, Fleet, Amarteifio and Mylchreest all filmed together.
“I always find it really difficult to explain what love is. Because, for me, love is not about words. It really is a deeper connection with that person, an understanding that when you look at them, it’s there,” Rosheuvel says. The glances between Queen Charlotte and King George — represented in both eras of their marriage — capture that emotion.
“I love the fact that Queen Charlotte knows what to do to help King George, whereas young Queen Charlotte is at the beginning of that journey,” Rosheuvel continues. “Queen Charlotte now knows how to communicate with the man she loves. She knows what he needs. She understands him. It’s a lifelong journey for them and you see that in that last scene.”
Earlier in the finale, we see the first time young Queen Charlotte ever slipped under that bed with her husband. “It’s a pretty tough time for George,” Mylchreest said at An Evening with Queen Charlotte, an event held on May 16 at Netflix’s FYSEE Emmy campaign events space. It was in that moment the actor felt most connected to his character. “For some reason I opened myself to George and it felt like we were there [togther],” he explained. “I didn’t really leave until the end of the day. Even during breaks, I stayed under the bed.”
Why do Queen Charlotte and King George live apart?
The Queen Charlotte finale emphasizes the immense devotion between Queen Charlotte and King George. However, the last scene of Episode 6 confirms the pair live apart in the Regency Era, as they did in the complicated first days of their marriage. The king is living at Kew and the queen resides at Buckingham House.
Despite the distance, there is no love lost. Instead, this arrangement allows the royal couple to enjoy their marriage despite King George’s medical struggles, giving the pair the “very best half” of a life together. Or, as Rosheuvel puts it, the physical separation allows King George to deal with his struggles.
But no matter their situation, they are “whole,” as young Queen Charlotte tells her husband. So whole, in fact, Rosheuvel doesn’t even think of Charlotte and George as living separately.
“Emotionally, my immediate reaction was like, ‘No, they’re still together.’ That’s the one that I want to hold onto,” Rosheuvel said. “Even though the physical is saying something different, the emotional is totally, 100% connected. She is there for him, and he is there for her.”
Mylchreest, who portrays young King George, agrees. “In that scene at the end, we see that George is still very capable of becoming lucid and seeing Charlotte for who she is,” he says. “They don’t live apart emotionally.”
However, Mylchreest continues, it makes sense for them to have their separate homes — if only for Charlotte’s well-being. “To see him like that every day and to love him with just as much passion is incredibly painful because, in a way, you’ve lost him,” Mylchreest says. “It’s like asking someone, ‘Well, your partner died. Why don’t you spend every day in the cemetery?’ You have to allow yourself time to breathe and let, in a sad way, move on.”
Yet, Queen Charlotte can’t move on. As Brimsley tells her in Episode 6, her life is dedicated to serving King George. “She is frozen in time because it’s almost like he’s died, but he hasn’t. He’s still there,” Mylchreest says. And, yet, she is still so grateful she never went over that wall.
Where is Reynolds?
Early in the Queen Charlotte finale, the royal couple’s respective footmen — Brimsley (Sam Clemmett) and Reynolds (Freddie Dennis) — share a very loved-up bath. Brimsley predicts that Queen Charlotte and King George will grow old together as one. Therefore, Brimsley and Reynolds, too, could share a “lifetime” together behind the scenes. They even have a taste of that private joy at a ball in the finale episode, dancing together on the outskirts of the party.
